Prateek Thapa, Son of Former Home Minister, Arrested in Fake Bhutanese Refugee Scam

Police apprehended Prateek Thapa, the son of CPN-UML Vice-chair and former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, on Friday in connection with a fraudulent scheme involving Bhutanese refugees. Assistant Inspector General of Police Deepak Thapa confirmed that Prateek was taken into custody from Bouddha, Kathmandu.

Prateek Thapa had been evading authorities since March 2015 when the investigation into the scam began. During his father’s tenure as home minister, Prateek allegedly colluded with senior ministry officials and middlemen to deceive hundreds of people with promises of resettlement in the United States as Bhutanese refugees. The Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office had filed a case against him last year, listing him as absconding.

Several high-profile figures, including former home minister Balkrishna Khand, former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and others, were also implicated and arrested in connection with the case last year. The investigation revealed a network involving politicians, top officials, and middlemen exploiting vulnerable individuals seeking asylum.